Attendance and welfare
Attendance and welfare
Children and young people from five to 16
years old must by law receive an education that is suited to their
needs. Children who attend schools and centres within Tower Hamlets
must, by law, attend regularly and on time.
Tower Hamlets Council has an attendance and welfare service
which works with pupils up to the age of 16, alongside schools,
parents, carers and other public services and voluntary agencies.
The service aims to improve school attendance, reduce truancy and
to ensure that children fully benefit from education that is
provided in Tower Hamlets. The attendance and welfare advisors have
specialised qualifications and are often experienced professionals
specialising in children's education.
Liaising with parents and carers
The attendance and welfare service speaks to
parents and carers if there is concern about a pupil's attendance
at school that has not been resolved by direct contact between home
and school. When discussing pupils with parents the service will do
the following:
- keep appointments on time
- be courteous and respectful at all times
- inform parents about their rights and duties
- handle any information given sensitively and discreetly
- allow parents access to any records that are made
- provide an interpreter when necessary.
Improving school attendance
The council’s attendance and welfare service
aims to improve school attendance and reduce truancy by:
- visiting schools in Tower Hamlets and discussing pupils whose
attendance is of concern
- giving advice, assistance and support to schools, parents and
pupils
- mediating between the child’s home and school if there is a
breakdown in communication
- helping schools and families identify and overcome any
difficulties which prevent children from attending school
regularly
- completing assessments using the Common Assessment Framework in
collaboration with the child, parent/carer, school and other
professionals to identify unmet needs
- working as the lead professional to co-ordinate support for the
child where it is appropriate
- participating as a member of the team working around the child
providing support
- referring cases with difficulties to other specialist
services
- working in partnership with parents, schools, social services
and other agencies to secure good education for children
- assisting schools in promoting good attendance and
punctuality
- helping parents and schools to meet their legal obligations
concerning school attendance
- enforcing school attendance on behalf of the council
- working with schools on their attendance policies and
strategies
- working with other officers, for example school development
advisors and educational psychologists, to provide coordinated
support to schools
- working with other agencies, including with the police when
they are on truancy patrols
- advising on child protection matters
- advising and undertaking enforcement duties in relation to
child employment and child entertainment responsibilities
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School referrals
Schools have to refer pupils who do not attend
school to the attendance and welfare service according to the
criteria for
referral to the attendance and welfare service
Missing children and children missing education
The whereabouts of children who are defined as
missing are unknown to statutory agencies and include the
following:
- children in families who are victims of domestic violence who
have to go into sudden hiding
- children in families who have disappeared without leaving a
forwarding address
- children in families who have gone on extended leave and have
failed to return when due to do so
- runaways
- children who have gone missing notified by other local
authorities
Tower Hamlets maintains a Missing Children Register. This is an
electronic database created solely for the purpose of actively
tracking down children aged 18 and under who have gone missing from
the borough, and once they have been found, making sure that they
are referred on to the appropriate agencies.
Missing children from other local authority areas are recorded
and checked against the Register. For more detailed information
please refer to:
Children out of school are monitored and
tracked on the pupil services admissions database. This
includes permanently excluded pupils and children who are home
educated. In those instances where a child or young person aged
5-16 appears to be without education then the local authority
should be informed using:
- the notification of a child without a school
place form (Word doc, 35k).
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Safeguarding and child protection
The welfare of children is a first priority.
Everyone has a legal duty to report any concerns if they feel that
a child's welfare may be at risk. Anyone, including pupils,
parents, schools, professionals, staff in voluntary and community
organisations and members of the public should call the Child
Protection Advice Line to report any concerns that they have.
The Child Protection Advice Line is operated by qualified social
workers who are able to discuss any concerns and offer advice and
initiate follow-up if necessary.
Please contact the Child Protection Advice Line on:
Tel: 020 7364 3444
Fax: 020 7364 3433
Open: Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm (except on public
holidays).
For more information, please refer to the:
Leaflet on
the Child Protection Advice Line (pdf, 25.3K)
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Complaints and concerns
Any concerns should be discussed with the attendance and welfare
advisor you are in contact with, but if this is not possible or
satisfactory, please ask to speak to a manager within the
attendance and welfare service.
If you are still dissatisfied, please contact the complaints
officer:
The Complaints Officer
Tower Hamlets Directorate of Children’s Services
2nd Floor, Mulberry Place
5 Clove Crescent
London E14 2BG
Tel: 020 7364 5000
How to contact us
Tower Hamlets Attendance and Welfare
Service
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
2nd Floor, Mulberry Place
5 Clove Crescent
London
E14 2GB
Show map
Tel: 020 7364 3450.
Fax: 020 7364 3433.
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